Flashpoint Taiwan Photo Op

 

Tumbling Dice have just released a 1/600th scale Neptune, so I have dug out my Republic of China Air Force where it will be sent as a reinforcement. The sidewinder armed RB-69A Neptunes were used for ultra low level CIA backed intelligence gathering flights over mainland China, with some very close shaves against Mig-17 and MiG-19 air defence interceptors. These flights were made by the 34th 'Black Bat' squadron, which was highly trained and experienced, although officially it didn't exist. Very cool! While I was about it, I also took some photos of the rest of the RoCAF line up, which covers the late 1950's to the 1980"s.

New Tumbling Dice Cold War US Aircraft

As promised, Paul at Tumbling Dice has filled some gaps in the Cold War US range with some really useful new models. The Voodoo has been a missing link for Vietnam games, especially Thud Ridge, so is a very welcome addition, as well as being a really cool aircraft. For me, the Neptune is also an excellent new model, as it can be used for the Black Bat RoCAF CIA backed intruder flights, while the Orion can be used in the maritime patrol role for numerous nations, most obviously my Chileans. Nice!

Cold War Chinese Navies

I had an idea yesterday, revolving around a 1960's to 1970's clash between the Peoples Liberation Army Navy and the Republic of China Navy, as another 'What If?' project. This would make good use of my existing 1/600th scale aircraft and would only involve a handful of destroyers, corvettes and fast patrol craft, mostly of a WW2 vintage. 

The Taiwanese used Allen M.Sumner, Benson and Fletcher class destroyers, amongst others, while the Communist Chinese had ex-Soviet Type 7 destroyers, P4 class torpedo boats and a few Whisky class submarines. It would be a minimal cost option and would be a good way to extend my naval wargaming 'What If?' projects in a different direction.

ROCAF Magnetised

I've had a frustrating couple of days, getting tied up with school and family things but have finally finished my re-basing project for the 1/600th scale Cold War planes, with the ROCAF aircraft now fully magnetised. In the process, I mucked up a Starfighter and a B26 Invader, the latter standing in for a RB-69A Neptune night stalker, but the rest worked out okay. I can now use them against my PLAAF aircraft with Target Locked On!, for which I have a couple of scenarios already sketched out. I'm planning to actually play a game tomorrow, assuming that I can navigate my way through the mine field of being locked up with three teenagers and the other half?

PLAAF Magnetised

I've now magnet based all of my 1/600th scale PLAAF fighters, fighter bombers and light bombers, although one of the Il-28's ended up in the bin as it would not detach from it's piano wire stand and ended up all bent and twisted. These models aren't as good as the Soviet fighters, partly due to the rougher castings but mainly as I mucked up the matt varnish which killed the bare metal shine. At least I can now run some Cold War Sino-Soviet 'What If?' games now that they are all based the same way and some Taiwan Straits games when I've rebased the ROCAF.

Magnetised Fishpots

I made a modest start to the 1/600th scale re-basing scheme today, with four Soviet Su-9 Fishpot interceptors converted with 3mm x 2mm magnets superglued to the underside. This was a tedious job as the fuselage is curved and the temperature was too cold for the superglue to work properly, so there was a fair bit of angst involved. I also assembled the Tumbling Dice acrylic stands, which are great apart from the fact that the flight posts have tops that aren't level, so you need to sand them down a bit to make sure the models don't look like their banking, climbing or diving. I used Gorilla Glue to attach the magnets, following a tip from a fellow wargamer, but this was far too long winded so I'll probably resort to superglue next time, taking the risk that the acrylic will frost. I have four Su-7 Fitters to re-base tomorrow, followed by the PLAAF fighters and bombers, which may take some time.

Modern Jet Magnet Re-Basing

These stands will be replaced with mini-magnets

As of Friday, it looks like I'll be spending a lot more time at home, so I've decided to re-base all of my 1/600th aircraft for the Flashpoint Taiwan and Flashpoint PVO projects. These were based on piano wire and laser cut mdf stands but I'm switching over entirely to mini-magnets, in line with all of my other models. I'll be using them with my homemade stands but also with the new transparent acrylic ones from Tumbling Dice, so I am going to make sure the polarity is correct this time rather than just slapping them on any old how. It's going to be a fiddly job but worth doing so that I can use the planes with different terrain cloths, adding a lot more flexibility to my Target Locked On! and possibly some Naval Command games.

Acrylic Flight Stands for Target Locked On!

I was having a chat with a fellow air wargamer at the Lard Day event last weekend about flight stands for 1/600th scale aircraft. He has used some of the new acrylic stands from Tumbling Dice for his Wings at War Vietnam era models, which looked pretty effective and gave me the idea to use them with the ultra modern aircraft that I have for Target Locked On! These are all Oddzial Ozmy models and are cast in very hard white metal, so are very brittle and aren't easily drilled for wire stands, an approach that I have now abandoned as a result in favour of mini-magnets.

I had originally attached them to some of my DIY mdf hex bases but the acrylic ones would be much more effective, especially as Target Locked On! isn't actually hex based. I will order a pack at the end of the week to see what they're like. If they are good for the job, I will probably also un-base my Taiwanese, Soviet and Chinese aircraft and stick magnets on them instead, as they're for Target Locked On! as well. The bonus will be that I can also use those for Cold War naval wargaming alongside 1/3000th scale ships, as the acrylic bases are obviously transparent. 

Target Locked On! at the Club

There's some interest at the local club from a couple of players in a game of Target Locked On! at some point in the not too distant future, which is great as I now have plenty of 1/600th scale aircraft to bring along and a good handle on the rules, albeit a slightly rusty one as I haven't played a game since the summer holidays. I'm thinking of using my Cold War Soviet aircraft against the Chinese aircraft for a few 'what if?' games, followed by the Flashpoint: Taiwan option once we've mastered the mechanisms. We also have a talented graphic designer on hand, who has just worked up a new and much improved version of the turn templates and counters, so that the games will really look great!

Goodbye 2018

I've left it a bit late for my usual review of wargaming year but I've done a quick wizz through of what I've done over the last twelve months. In January, February and March I painted shedloads of  1/600th planes for Bag the MiG and MiG Alley, although I still haven't completed all of the extra things I need for the latter, so a game has yet to materialise but is on the cards for 2019. I also assembled some modern fast attack craft in 1/700th, which are still in a box somewhere, and added some more 1/600th aircraft for my Flashpoint Taiwan project.

In the Easter holidays I played several games of Target Locked On! which I enjoyed and made up for not being able to get to the club for any games due to the kid's evening activities on a Tuesday night. I then started on a Wings at War: Desert Spitfires project but this was hijacked by the arrival of What a Tanker, which proceeded to occupy the next couple of months with building, painting and weathering 1/72nd scale plastic kits. I really enjoyed this but only got a couple of games in before the holidays started in July. I'll definitely be back to WAT in 2019 and hope to set up a club game at some point, using my Germans and Russian tanks. I did also paint some 1/600th Soviet Cold War aircraft just because I fancied a bit of a break from all that clanky tanky stuff!

In the Summer holidays I played a solo 'What If?' mini-campaign of Broadside and Ram with my unpainted but assembled 1/2400th French and British ironclad fleets. I thought this was really fun but it didn't get me any further along in terms of painting the things, which is also something I'd really like to get sorted in 2019. I also did some scratch building to produce my own 1/2400th scale version of the USS Dunderberg  and USS Onodaga, both for my French ironclad fleet. I was really pleased with my efforts, even if they weren't anything amazing! I am hoping to get the British and French fleets painted in 2019, together with the Danish and Prussian ironclads for 1864.

In the Autumn I decided on a whim to finish off the 1/600th scale Alto Cenepa project by completing the aircraft for both Peru and Ecuador, which had been sitting in a box for years. These were finished by October half term so I set about converting the Wings at War rules to the conflict, only getting so far before I decided to try something similar but less complicated first. The aircraft and terrain targets are all completed for the Alto Cenepa clash but I've yet to organise myself to set up a game of Target Locked On or Air War: C21, which was the original idea.

This 'other project' turned out to be the Football War using Desert Spitfires as a rules template, with my own twists and turns based on background research. The rules I developed, Cavaliers and Corsairs, may even be published in 2019 but I still didn't finish the planes for them in time for the Xmas break. This was partly due to being side tracked yet again by my 15mm post-colonial Sandbox Skirmish project, which appeared out of nowhere when I found a second hand art frame in a charity shop and then turned it into a desert terrain skirmish board. I'll crack on with this project as well in 2019.

That's it really, give or take a few minor diversions along the way and virtually no wargaming at the club for work and family reasons. I am going to try to get up there on a Tuesday night at least once a month in 2019, so that I'm not just stuck at the workbench but actually run some games or at least take part when I can. I'm making a good stab at this in January with three games already booked up, made easier by the fact that the boy's rugby training doesn't start for a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to these as they are all naval or air wargames, which is are my main areas of interest, two of which I've never played before.

I hope you've had a great 2018 and that 2019 turns out to be even better!

Cheers!

Flashpoint Taiwan ROCAF Finished

 

I'm glad to see the back of these 1/600th scale jets, to be honest, as they've been hanging around on the workbench for months and have blocked the way to other projects. I finished painting the bases this morning then added the tiddly decals, although I have cut some corners to simplify the insignia for some aircraft as they just wouldn't fit. Anyway, after a brief varnishing disaster and a quick respray in Army Painter matt varnish to save the day, they are now ready for action. I quite like the way the F100's and F16's have turned out, but the F5's, the F86D's and the two black night intruders are a bit of a let down, especially after the varnishing mess up on the latter. Never mind, I can now get started on the 1/2400th scale ironclads for 1864. I'm hoping that this will give my eyes a rest and be a little less fiddly?

Flashpoint Taiwan ROCAF Update

I've been doing a quick bit of tidying up on the ROCAF fighters for Target Locked On! this evening but, due to my dodgy eyesight and lack of focus, I'll probably have to go back and tidy up the tidied bits again! I added tail stripes to the F100's, F5's and F86D's, together with some touching up of gaps here and there. I'm hoping to get the bases painted then add the decals tomorrow, if I get the time, clearing the decks for some 1/2400th scale naval painting instead.

Flashpoint Tawan ROCAF Painting Finished

 

I spent a few hours today finishing the paintwork on the Tumbling Dice 1/600th scale ROCAF aircraft, although the bases will have to be done over the week along with the decals. I'm not too pleased with the end result, especially the F-16's as they look a bit 'mushy' and not as crisp as I would have liked, although the F-100 Super Sabres came out looking a bit better. I didn't enjoy painting this lot as much as usual, so that might explain the lack of enthusiasm I have for the end result. I'll get the decals and bases sorted over the week, along with a bit of tidying up and tail stripe painting, then it's on to other more nautical things.

Flashpoint Taiwan ROCAF Progress

I started the base coating and blocking in on the 1/600th scale Tumbling Dice aircraft for the ROCAF this afternoon, although it's so hot that the paint was drying out faster than I could get it from the brush to the palette. The basic light and mid-grey shades have been wet brushed onto the F-16's and F-5A's, while the F-100's and F-86D's have been given a silver basecoat followed by a Future / Ink wash. I've also blocked in the black on the B-57 and the B-26 Invader night intruders. I'm hoping to continue tomorrow with some white blocking in on the canopies and coloured areas, followed by the blue canopies, the green, red and blue markings and the metallic engine sections.

Flashpoint Taiwan RoCAF F-16's

I was looking for something else yesterday when I found some 1/600th scale Tumbling Dice F-16 Fighting Falcons in a box of Israeli aircraft that I'd stashed away. I decided to use four of these as Taiwanese F-16's, which will allow me to bring the RoCAF a bit more up to date. I've also ordered a pack of four Mirage 2000's to use alongside the F-16's, although that's it for the modern element of the project, as I far prefer the 1960's Cold War kit.

What's on the Workbench This Week?

Here are the Tumbling Dice 1/600th scale aircraft that I'm painting up over the next week or so, when I can find the time to get some brushwork underway. The idea is to balance out the collection of planes for the PLAAF and ROCAF, so that I can run a series of games set from the mid to late 1950's through to the mid 1970's, changing the line up on both sides as time goes on. Some of these  will be historical whilst others will be 'what if?' clashes, escalating to full bombing raids and interceptions in a Cold War Gone Hot scenario. I'll be using Target Locked On! as the rules of choice but I'm also thinking of using Air War:C21 or similar hex based fast play rules as well.

Target Locked On! - Flashpoint Taiwan

I've only got a couple of weekends and three weeks before the holidays, so thought I'd leave starting the Mexican Revolution skirmish project for the moment and just finish off a few loose ends from earlier in the year. Way back in March I prepared a handful of Tumbling Dice 1/600th scale planes for the Flashpoint Taiwan project, then promptly went off to do other things.

These consist of some F-86D Sabre Dogs, some F5A Freedom Fighters, some F-100 Super Sabres and some assorted 'black ops' reconnaissance aircraft including a Canberra and an A-26 Invader. I think these should be relatively quick to paint up, so ideal as a small task to complete over the next couple of weeks, giving me a decent range of aircraft to use against the PLAAF fighters that I've already completed and the bombers that I still need to finish.

Flashpoint Spring Clean

I have been giving some thought to the various Target Locked On! projects that I have started, collectively titled as the 'Flashpoint' projects. These are all focussed on Cold War conflicts, either real or imagined, with one already nearly compete (Flashpoint Taiwan) and a second well on the way (Flashpoint Xinjiang). I've yet to start on the principal project (Flashpoint Baltic) but that's because the other two are more of a feasibility study in basing, painting and learning the rules.

However, I did think that the whole scheme needed a bit of a rationalisation as it was in danger of sprawling in too many directions. So, I have retitled the Flashpoint Xinjiang Sino-Soviet project as Flashpoint PVO, in order to make it more flexible. I have also brought the half completed Alto Cenepa War project into the fold, which was originally designed for Air War:C21, so that I can finish it off too as Flashpoint Alto Cenepa. 

The other projects will stay as they are, although the Flashpoint Fleet Air Arm may eventually evolve into something more confrontational, assuming I can get hold of some 1/600th Indonesian Air Force insignia or think of a different 'alternate history' conflict in which the Royal Navy could take a role. I may fall back on a Flashpoint Hong Kong concept for this, re-cycling my existing Chinese aircraft for just such a scheme?

Flashpoint Taiwan Plan B

I had a bit of a disjointed day at the workbench, with various diversions dragging me away, not the least being the freezing garage and my daughters cup cake competition entry, so I didn't get quite as much done as I hoped. However, I now have three Tu-16 heavy bombers and three more Il-16 light bombers to add to the Chinese PLAAF, four F-86D Sabre Dogs and two more F-5A Freedom Fighters to add to the Taiwanese ROCAF, together with a single Su-11 and two new MiG-25 interceptors for the Soviet PVO.

The last two were a bit of a late addition, as I managed to destroy a pair of F-5A's by over drilling them, leaving me with a couple of spare stands to use up. I thought the MiG-25's would be an ideal substitute and would push the Soviet PVO air defences into the mid 1970's, which would add a little bit of a cutting edge. Unfortunately, it's now too cold to whip out the grey spray undercoat, so I will have to do when the weather improves mid-week.